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Founded at Winnipeg on 22 April 1919, the aim of the Manitoba Teachers’ Federation was to promote the interests in teachers in rural and urban schools throughout Manitoba. It arose from a meeting held at the Central Normal School in July 1918, organized by Belmont teacher Winfred E. Marsh, and attended by John M. Nason of Deloraine, William J. G. Scott of Roland, Herbert W. Huntley of Winnipeg, and Edgar K. Marshall of Portage la Prairie. In 1942, it was renamed the Manitoba Teachers’ Society.
Period
President
1919-1921
Herbert Wellington Huntley (1879-1974)
1921-1922
Edgar Kenny Marshall (c1876-1956)
1922-1924
Charles Walter Laidlaw (1873-1953)
1925-1927
Alexander Charles Campbell (1874-1951)
1927-1928
Wilfred Sadler (1884-1951)
1928-1929
William Abraham Anderson (1890-1947)
1929-1931
Arthur Edward Hearn (1871-1937)
1931-1932
George Florence (1884-1977)
1932-1933
James Crossley (1886-1970)
1933-1934
William Gladstone Oliver (1890-1968)
1934-1935
Gordon Minto Churchill (1898-1985)
1935-1936
Caroline “Carrie” “Parkie” Parkinson (1874-1962)
1936-1937
Wellington Geddes Rathwell (1887-1951)
1937-1938
Herbert Vincent Bell (1898-1971)
1938-1939
Gertrude May Ransom (?-1971)
1939-1940
Alan Stewart Moore (1903-1987)
1940-1941
James Hugh Cameron (1890-1981)
1941-1942
John Elwood Ridd (1896-1986)
1942-1943
Eleanor Boyce (1898-1997)
1943-1944
Ernest Ross Floyd Willoughby (c1889-1956)
1944-1945
Robert Cecil Paris (1885-1964)
1945-1946
Mary Hamilton (1893-1985)
1946-1947
Frederick Drury Baragar (1891-1964)
1947-1948
Hilda Kinney Ellis (1905-1987)
1948-1949
Gabriel Richard Rowe (1897-1968)
1949-1950
Elmenia Jean Mollard (1901-1991)
1950-1951
Harold Edwin Richard Murphy (1894-1975)
1951-1952
Myrtle Rietta Conway (1908-2005)
1952-1953
Duncan Hector Stewart (1912-1999)
1953-1954
Edith Miller (?-?)
1954-1955
John Adrian Ashley (1902-1987)
1955-1956
Agnes MacDonald (1908-1999)
1956-1957
Winnifred E. Stevenson (?-1993)
1957-1958
Carl Stirrat Gow (1900-1977)
1958-1959
Albert Edward “Ted” Scrase (1901-1984)
1959-1960
Ross Laverne Donald (1907-1992)
1960-1961
Sybil Francis Shack (1911-2004)
1961-1962
Nicholas Toews
1962-1963
Robert John Cochrane (1900-1978)
1963-1964
John Kastrukoff (1920-2009)
1964-1965
Elizabeth F. Redmond
1965-1966
Albert W. Davie
1966-1967
Donald Taylor McKinnon (1926-2012)
1967-1968
Aubrey A. Asper
1968-1969
John Enns
1969-1970
Edward Kowalchuk (1926-2003)
1970
Sister Pearl Gervais
1970-1971
Edward Kowalchuk (1926-2003)
1971-1972
Walter Nowosad (1918-2003)
1972-1973
George H. Enns (1920-2010)
1973-1974
Harvey C. Kingdon
1974-1975
1975-1976
Leo Duguay
1976-1977
Leonard Arthur “Art” Reimer (1941-2023)
1977-1978
Ralf Kyritz
1978-1979
Al Valentine
1979-1980
Marilyn Thompson
1980-1981
John Wiens
1981-1982
Dorothy Young
1982-1983
Rex Virtue
1983-1984
Dr. Linda Asper
1984-1985
Murray Smith
1985-1986
1986-1987
Cordell Barker
1987-1988
Valerie Wake
1988-1989
Judy Balabas
1989-1990
Betty Husby
1990-1991
Sandy Millen
1991-1992
Judy Bradley
1992-1993
Terence “Terry” Clifford (1936-2021)
1993-1994
Dr. David Turner
1994-1995
Ron Banister
1995-1996
Linda York
1996-1997
Ken Pearce
1997-1998
Diane Beresford
1998-1999
Ian MacIntyre
1999-2003
Jan Speelman
2003-2007
Brian Ardern
2007-2011
Pat Isaak
2011-2015
Paul Olsen
2015-2019
Norm Gould
Period
General Secretary
1922-1945
Edgar Kenny Marshall (c1876-1956)
1946-1956
Thomas Agnew McMaster (1898-1956)
1956-1975
Emerson Lloyd Arnett (1911-1975)
1975-1981
William Robert “Bob” Gordon (1921-2001)
1982-1990
Walter Pindera
1990-1993
Aubrey A. Asper
1993-1996
Jean Gisiger
1997-2004
Leonard Arthur “Art” Reimer (1941-2023)
2005-2008
Judy Bradley
2009-2015
Ken Pearce
See also:
Manitoba Organization: Manitoba Educational Association
Manitoba Organization: Manitoba School Boards Association
Chalk, Sweat, and Cheers: A history of the Manitoba Teachers’ Society Commemorating its Fiftieth Anniversary, 1919-1969 by J. W. Chafe, Winnipeg: Manitoba Teachers’ Society, 1969.
“Oliver is named as new president of teachers’ body,” Winnipeg Free Press, 19 April 1933, page 3.
The History of the Manitoba Teachers’ Society by Haraldur Victor Vidal, MA thesis, University of Manitoba, 1958.
“Manitobans at Teacher Conference,” Winnipeg Free Press, 2 August 1967, page 24.
“Teacher resignations down: report,” Winnipeg Free Press, 14 August 1968, page 46.
“Sister Pearl Gervais,” Winnipeg Free Press, 3 April 1970, page 3.
“Edward Kowalchuck,” Winnipeg Free Press, 21 September 1970, page 44.
We thank James Arnett, Nathan Kramer, and Mireille Theriault for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 18 March 2023
